Page 45 of Reclaiming Home

Kye sighed. “Kind of, when she was little. But our stepmom never wanted us around after Eira was born so it was rough. I wish we were close, and maybe we’ll be when she’s old enough to make her own decisions, but we weren’t even close enough for us to miss her now, really. Carys and I talked about it yesterday.”

“I wish I hadn’t lost so many years with Bella, but I get why she had to run.”

“And then you avenged your sister and mine,” he murmured.

He lifted his head and then continued the movement until he’d resettled to straddle me.

Kye tilted his head and watched me as he put his hand on my chest. I grinned slightly. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to see, but I covered his thighs with my much bigger hands.

He rocked his hips minutely, rubbing us together in a way that made me sigh and get fully hard from the half mast I’d been in since he lay on top of me.

He raised a brow at me and ground his erection against mine through our underwear.

I smiled, then squeezed his thighs. “Stop.”

He stilled immediately, then cocked his head as if to ask why.

“There’s something I need you to know before we take this any further,” I said, my heart suddenly beating faster.

“Okay?” He frowned, and moved one hand in the middle of my chest as if he was feeling my sudden nerves affecting my body.

I fought hard against the instinct to break eye contact. For the first time since I’d ended Rusty, my wolf felt submissive inside me.

“I know you’ve been researching wolves. Did you read anything about mates yet?” I blurted out in an almost-nervous tone I disliked instantly.

Kye frowned again. “Yeah. Today, actually. I was getting to a point where the paper explained about how mates work in modern day packs—wait.” He sat straighter, lifting his hands off my chest. “Are you trying to tell me you have a mate?”

Yeah, that was exactly what I was trying to tell him, but I needed to choose my words carefully here. He was clearly thinking about bolting.

I moved my hands to take his and smiled slightly. “Yes,” I said firmly, then squeezed his hands so he couldn’t escape. “It’s you.” Or maybe going for the most direct answer would work too, thanks, brain.

“W-What?” The stunned expression on Kye’s face stayed there for a handful of seconds, then he chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, unable to keep a smile off my face when I felt him relax on top of me.

“I guess if you’d come home half an hour later, I probably would’ve figured this out myself. Now that you’ve told me, I see the signs, so to speak.” He shook his head, then looked at me fondly. “I thought it was a regular wolfy touchy-feelyness and an insane chemistry brewing between us from the start.”

I grinned. “I mean, itisboth of those things. There’s just something extra added into the equation.”

He pulled his hand from mine and rubbed it over his face. “Just so you know,” he said a moment later, his voice as serious as I’d ever heard it. “I’m all in. I won’t be leaving you hanging.”

The joy that burst out of me when the relief hit me and the wolf had my eyes glowing and my claws making an appearance. I let go of Kye so that I wouldn’t hurt him, but then the wolf took over and I grabbed him, flipping us over until I was on top of him.

He made a soft “oof” sound, then laughed brightly. “I gather that you agree with the idea.”

I buried my face in his neck, then rumbled out, “My wolf is extremely happy with this.” The words came out a bit slurred, the partial shift changing my teeth into something sharper and more animalistic.

Kye wrapped his arms and legs around me and squeezed tightly, hugging me with his whole body. “Good. I’m happy, too. Alpha.” Then he sighed, the sound pure happiness, and added,“Mate.”

The wolf inside me howled with happiness, a part of the sound coming out of my mouth in a low whine.

“It’s okay,” Kye whispered. “I’m here. I know you’re a wolf. I’m not going anywhere.”

I pressed my palms against the bed on either side of him, then watched as the claws finally receded. Pushing myself up, I looked at him.

“Do you know you’re a miracle?” I asked him seriously.

He smiled and chuckled, a blush climbing up his cheeks. “Well, even if I wasn’t, you’d be stuck with me, so there’s that….”

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